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The Caduceus Organisation
Caduceus is the governmental organization in charge regulating and managing the various medical facilities operated by House Serpens. While Caduceus may not be the only medical organization in the empire, medical practitioners licensed by and operating within Caduceus facilities are rarely trusted to provide the highest forms of healthcare available. Caduceus’s ubiquity and reputation make it the most public facing organization of House Serpens and it strongly misrepresents House Serpens image to the rest of the sector. Healthcare is provided to anyone seeking it, with the cost being billed to the governmental agencies of the house representing the patient. Those who are citizens of the empire are still provided services but are billed directly. This level of healthcare can be expensive and as such Caduceus is the primary source of revenue for House Serpens. Caduceus also runs the research, development, and manufacturing of MES medications. Caduceus Clinics on Other Planets Caduceus Projects In coordination with House Triangulum, Caduceus has established a genetic modification clinic on Habitat One known as “Project Aphroditos.” Through the combination of Triangulum’s advanced technology and the medical expertise of Serpens, the clinic offers treatments including but not limited to: * Genetic alteration - The alteration of the body at the DNA-level, allowing for things such as gender reassignment and the reshaping of reproductive functions. * Aesthetic reconstruction - Alteration of the body’s outward appearance to any humanoid parameters. * Cybernetic installation - The surgical attachment of cybernetic prosthetics and enhancements. In accordance with the principles of Caduceus, treatments relating to healthcare are offered at no charge while elective procedures do carry a fee in order to defray costs of the clinic’s operation. Citizens of the Imperium, it has come to our attention that some dissenters amongst our population have accused House Serpens of providing healthcare to the “most deserving citizens” only. Let Caduceus and the whole of our humble House reassure you that these are but slanderous rumours. Rest easy, for a Practitioner of House Serpens will always be available on each of our worlds to provide healthcare to all citizens of Acheron-Rho with the necessary care and treatments. - The High Practitioners's Board of Caduceus The Ugajin Concern Consisting, funded, and facilitated mostly by members of House Serpens supporting the Church of Humanity, Repentant. This subgroup is responsible for providing medical assistance in times of extreme crisis to Imperial planets, though unlike most Imperial organisations, they provide free aid, funded by generous donations, to non-Imperial entities as well, forming a neutral corp of medics, first responders, nurses and medical doctors, who assist when small planetary/local wars break out, or when there are planetary/continental/local catastrophes that require aid in an emergency. Ouroboros Fleet Context; premise & preamble The Ouroboros is often employed with other similar esoteric symbology, not dissimilar from the all-seeing eye or circumpunct motif that features so prominently in House Serpens iconography. The nazar boncuğu or eye of god, is perhaps the most culturally diverse apotropaic symbol present throughout human history, even the constellation which our name and function is derived is no different. “... since it is said of the Ouroboros that he slays himself and brings himself to life, fertilizes himself and gives birth to himself. He symbolizes the One, who proceeds from the clash of opposites, and he therefore constitutes the secret of the prima materia which ... unquestionably stems from man's unconscious.” (Carl Jung, surviving Collected Works) circa pre-exodus, Old Earth. The wedjat or hamsa is rooted in almost all human religious and cultural practices, embodying knowledge, power, other worldly sight and protection. While cosmologically neutral; capable of healing or harm; violence or protection, guard or ward that which is precious, the effects depend solely on the intentions of the practitioner. The Carrier, Ouroboros (wanderers of the infinite) “The psionically gifted are perhaps the purest expression of the potential of our species” extract recovered; Historica Pilgrimage; Observations & Collected Essays; by Ferlang Abdul, circa 2167. Reported to have been discorporated in an unregulated M.E.S. event. “D.S.R. exposure of the colonial settlers has led to persistent mutation within familial blood lines, the ubiquity of the spike drive, & its continued use has resulted in an increasing number of new cases, in these uncertain times.” Excerpt; Assessments, Projections and Recoveries; Sobek Orhun Sett Chief Takumi Serpens, circa 2667 (Post Scream). General Purpose and Function A monolithic vessel of mercy, tending to the medical needs of the common citizenry and nobility alike. Ouroboros mythos has roots in ancient cultures, mysticism, alchemy not too dissimilar from the stylised serpentine caduceus. This would be in keeping with the flavour and function of house, the use of the term lends itself well to the idea of eternal devotion to the species inspired by the hippocratic oath; sworn by members of the old colonial medical fleet, and the old earth organisation which we are loosely based upon. One the oldest colonial sector ships from initial settlement (a medical carrier), ancient in nature and vital function; it plies a route around the core worlds, where general treatment can either be conducted on board or dispatch aid craft within a limited window before it spikes to the next system. As M.E.S. is a medical condition; treatment fell under the purview of what would eventually became House Serpens. The apolitical devotion to the humanitarian nature of our calling means we don’t desire rulership or lust for domination over the Empire. Psionics enhance and compliment our secular duty and crucial skill set; Serpens recognises most of all the importance of keeping M.E.S. in check and the profound consequences if left untreated, e.g. the Scream. “... man’s reach should always exceed his grasp, for should he clutch for it at once he would surely throttle that which he covets most...” “Invariably it is by his own hand, that man sows the seeds of his own destruction. And by hubris alone does he make those fields fertile.” Possible History and M.E.S. Treatment/Logistics A relic before the scream, it remained as one of the few large capacity ships that still retained a spike drive. As the denizens of the Empire relied heavily on the Jump Gates, the Ouroboros was in service at the time as a museum devoted to the colonial expansion era. Serving as a constant reminder of the humble origin of the species, or as with many healthcare systems crippled by finance and politics; it may have the only means to address medical needs of the sector. There were two of these byzantine vessels, much like the academies on Hroa and Mona respectively. However, one might have been lost during the scream; heavily reliant on psionic staff and instruments. Or perhaps it was lost during the synth conflict; as was the other academy. Left drifting in the deep black, after damage to navigation systems precipitated in an uncontrolled jump (according to tight beam comm records), a derelict hulk, waiting to be recovered. Cygnus may have struck out to ensure victory but ours is a higher calling and will not abide such reckless hubris, dark future or no. Possible reasons (why no one fucks with it): navigation occurs on a semi-predictable time frame but control is incredibly limited and understanding of the greater workings has been lost to time, or perhaps adherence to a relief schedule established during the early days of settlement, an astrological cycle, or an old directive of operation that is now closely adhered to and over the long years has become culturally significant to the house/duty and the expectations of the core systems of Acheron Rho (someone has to treat all those people). “There is no right or wrong in our profession. The present changes the past from moment to moment. One can only hope for the future to vindicate one’s action.” Direct, aggressive political and/or military action against the Ouroborus would have consequences for M.E.S. treatment on a sector wide scale, not seen since the Scream. Almost certainly crippling the Empire, taking centuries to recover and potentially the long term survival of humanity. As psionics are naturally born superhumans, seemingly one of our few true counters to the synth menace; these priceless assets ensure our manifest destiny and continued prosperity. Due to our medical expertise and altruistic nature; House Serpens provides one of only the reliable methods of excising the unspeakable threats to the future of humanity. Ships of the fleet Smaller vessels; relief ships, emergency first response cohorts and harvests of psionics in potentia: Practitioner Vessel frigates and corvettes “Short term destabilisation to secure long term prosperity.” “In your deepest self lies the truth of what you can be. And, for most, that truth is terrible to bear.” Category:House Serpens Category:Organizations